


Gotham comes first

by sharperobjects



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DC Cinematic Universe, DCU, Man of Steel (2013)
Genre: BvS spoilers, Gen, references to BvS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6709855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharperobjects/pseuds/sharperobjects
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce is weary, after the funeral. There's work to be done, he needs to go and find the others. But first - he needs to deal with the redhead woman he hasn't seen in a year, standing in the cave.</p><p>x</p><p>or, if BvS had a mid credits scene</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gotham comes first

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BVS
> 
> I initially intended for this to really be like a mid credits scene, so I was aiming for like 300-500 words max but then I just kept writing and writing and now it's at 800. Whoops! So yes, it's a little too long for a credits scene, but if they did one, I would love it if it had gone like this, more or less!

Bruce is weary, after the funeral. There's work to be done, he needs to go and find the others. But first, he needs to breathe. The last few days were...intense. Not just physically. He sinks into the office chair facing the large computer screens and sighs, massaging his temples.

“Normally I would appreciate you taking a break, but I’m afraid I need to bother you.” Alfred’s voice pulls him away from his thoughts.

“What is it?” Bruce asks, turning to face the older man.

“You have 17 missed calls, sir –”

“ - ignore them –”

“ – from one person.” Alfred finishes.

Bruce frowns. He assumed it would just be the WE Board, or the shareholders but…17?

“Who is it?”

Alfred opens his mouth but he gets cut off by another voice.

“Me.”

There’s loud click clack noises as someone walks out from the hangar bay. Her red hair, the way she moves – Bruce can’t see her face, only her side profile, but he knows who it is, even though he hasn't seen her in a year.

“Barbara.” He gets up, she continues walking until she reaches Jason’s costume. Places her fingers on the glass.

He still can’t see her face, her hair covers her side, but he can see her shoulders tense, he can see the distress in her.

“Three things.” She says, her voice punctuates the silence in the cave.

“One, the next time you fight with gods and monsters, you do _not_ get to pretend you work alone.”

Bruce closes his eyes. If this is what she came here for –

“Two. Guy in a red suit in a dream, screaming stuff at you?” She turns slightly towards Bruce.

He frowns, crossing his arms. “Yes. What did he tell you?”

“We need to compare notes, but that can wait. Three is…bad.” And to really, really drive that message home, Barbara turns to face him completely.

“Good Lord,” Alfred says behind him.

Her right under eye is entirely blue-blacked, her eye isn’t swollen so Bruce knows it happened a few days ago, but the right side of her jaw is purple, and it’s flaring to a reddish pink near her cheekbones.

Bruce isn’t worried about her injuries. He is, to a certain extent, but he knows she’ll be fine. He’s worried about the fact that someone managed to do this…to _her_. To Barbara Gordon, the woman with the mile a minute brain and the legs of a ballerina and the upper arm strength of a _mother_.

“What happened?” He asks, moving towards her, a deep rage and anger slowly stirring inside of him that he doesn’t quite understand.

She licks her lips (there’s a cut, it’s healing but her lower lip is still slightly swollen) and starts speaking. “He calls himself Red Hood.” Bruce’s eyes flicker up to her immediately and – “Yeah, I know. But that’s the least of our problems. He knew me by name. He called me Barbara, and I was _in my_ _suit_ , Bruce. And he said – he said, “Tell _Bruce_ if he thought that monster on Stryker’s was bad, he’s got hell coming his way.””

Bruce’s mind is racing. There’s so many things, so many problems _and how the hell does someone know what does this mean_ – when he stops. He sees Barbara’s face, how she’s conflicted and her brows are furrowed and she’s trying to hide something and he stops.

Bruce narrows his eyes. “You’re not telling me something.”

Barbara closes her eyes, shakes her head. “It’s not…it’s nothing –”

“Barbara.” He says, his hand softly closing around her arm, comforting. When she opens her eyes, Bruce’s frown relaxes and he’s worried because her eyes…her eyes are so goddamn _helpless_. He’s never seen her like this before, except after that night…

“He looked like someone we once knew. And I – I don’t, I was probably just…he moved like…” She swallows uncomfortably. “He moved like _Jason_.”

Bruce is so thankful for Alfred, because the older man immediately moves forward and starts talking, “Miss Gordon -Barbara, listen to me –”

“No, I know, I know. It’s stupid, I just. I’m sorry, forget I said anything.”

“It’s…no, I pushed for it. It’s fine, Barb.” Bruce manages to say.

There’s silence for a few seconds, in which neither of the three people in the cave look at each other, and then –

“There’s this, by the way.” Barbara pulls a photo out of her jacket pocket. She unfolds it and passes it to Bruce.

Alfred and Bruce both look at the photo and, well. Bruce can see why Barbara thought what she thought. It’s blurry, black and white and pixelated, but Bruce can make out the man in a red helmet and jacket walking down an alley. He has to do a double take because –

“Is that – is that our –”

“Yes.” Barbara replies to Alfred. “He’s wearing our insignia, in red.”

Bruce tightens his jaw.

Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg can wait. Diana can wait. Whatever bells rung, whoever they’re calling, they can wait.

Gotham, his family, his city comes first. And the Red Hood will face _hell_.

“Let’s get to work.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man, okay so two things:
> 
> 1\. "that night" was a reference to TKJ, which in my mind happened earlier in the DCEU about 4/5 years before the events of MoS, and Babs was paralysed for 3 years until n52 events happened and she got out of the wheelchair. 
> 
> 2\. I HAD TO SNEAK IN A HAMILTON REFERENCE, I JUST HAD TO. See if you can spot it!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, if you enjoyed it please leave a kudos and you can find me on twitter @barbaragordcn :)


End file.
